Explain how relative ethical theories work to solve issues

Utilitarianism is another form of relative ethics. It is teleological and looks to find the maximum pleasure for the most people involved. Therefore morality changes in each circumstance. Bentham was an Act utilitarian and he used his hedonic calculus in order to calculate how much pleasure would come from an action. Mill was a weak Rule utilitarian. This means there are some laws that should be made but they can be broken if it would provide a better outcome. For example, killing out of revenge will only bring the killer pleasure and only for a short duration so it is wrong. However killing a serial killer to save the future victims bring pleasure to most of the people involved so it is right. Killing is never intrinsically wrong or right.

People support relativism because it is flexible. It allows for diversity and is not judgemental of different cultures. For example, if it is tradition in one area to have slaves then it is respectful of the people’s beliefs. It also recognises that morality changes over time, so laws should change with society. However someone could argue that it does not protect human rights. For example, torturing children is always wrong no matter the culture and it should not be tolerated.

In conclusion, moral relativism is a flexible ethical theory. It is the opposite of absolutism. Absolutism says that things are either objectively right or wrong intrinsically. Whereas relativism says that there are no objective right or wrong actions and the right thing to do is dependent on the circumstances. Most relativism is teleological and consequential which means they look for the action that will create the best outcome for everyone involved.